Post by @marina.orzhekhovska

🌳 A TORONTO HOMEOWNER THOUGHT THE TREE WAS HERS… BUT THE LAW SAID OTHERWISE. 😳 A homeowner had a large, mature tree growing close to the property line between her home and her neighbour’s. 🏡🌳 She believed: 💭 “It’s in my backyard, so it’s my tree.” She wanted to remove it. ✂️ But the neighbours disagreed. They argued that because the trunk crossed the property line, it was actually a boundary tree. ⚖️ The dispute eventually reached the Ontario Court of Appeal in Hartley v. Cunningham. The court confirmed an important rule for Ontario homeowners: 🌳 If the trunk of a tree grows across the property line, it may be considered a common or boundary tree owned by both neighbours. That means one homeowner generally cannot simply remove or seriously damage the tree without the other owner’s consent. 🚫🪚 ⚠️ Why does this matter? Removing a boundary tree without proper permission could potentially lead to an expensive legal dispute. 💰⚖️ Before removing a tree near your property line: ✅ Confirm the actual property boundary ✅ Check exactly where the tree trunk sits ✅ Review your municipal tree-removal rules ✅ Speak with your neighbour first 🏡 The lesson? Just because a tree looks like it’s in your backyard doesn’t necessarily mean it belongs only to you. 🌳 Before you cut — confirm who actually owns it. 📍 Toronto, GTA & Simcoe Region 👩‍💼 Maryna Orzhekhovska Certified Real Estate Broker 📲 647-989-4545 📧 marinaorzh@gmail.com #TorontoRealEstate #GTARealEstate #OntarioRealEstate #TorontoHomeowners #realtor